Control device for use in calculat



p 4, 1954 A. G TTSCHALK ETAL ,68

CONTROL DEV CE FOR uss IN CALCULATING MECHANISMS FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Filed Feb. 17. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG! INVENTORJ Mut TTJCHRLK bur/1% Patented Sept. 14, 1954 CONTROL DEVICE FOR USE IN CALCULAT- ING MECHANISMS FOR CALCULATING MACHINES Albert Gottschalk' and Hellfried Kamer, Chemnitz, Germany, assignors to Astrawerke VEB,

Chemnitz, Germany Application February 17,1953, Serial No. 337,368

Claims priority, application Germany March 25, 1952 7 Claims. (Cl. 235-60) This invention relates to a control device for use in a calculating mechanism for calculating machines, particularly adding, subtracting, balancing or bookeeping machines, in which numerical values are taken up during the return of the racks or other transmission agents. a

Calculating mechanisms are known having only one counting mechanism, in which the tens feed device is arranged within the calculating mechanism. Calculating mechanisms of this kind with only one counting mechanism are used as adding, subtracting and balancing mechanisms in the machines mentioned where one or more of them may be employed. In bookkeeping machines, calculating mechanisms provided with multiple counting mechanisms, arranged for instance in the form of a drum, are known also. Some parts of the tens feeding device associated with these counting mechanisms are positioned outside the calculating mechanism. In these machines numerical values are taken up by the calculating mechanism or mechanisms adding or subtracting during the return motion of the racks or other transmission members. For this purpose, the racks or transmission members serving as driving members must be made to mesh with the counting mechanism either by moving the driving members against the counting mechanism or the latter against the driving members. This operation is carried out in a single motion. In all these machines the actuators of the tens feeding device, possibly during an idle pull, are tensioned in a relatively short time. Owing to this sudden accumulation of power, the steady running of the machine is interrupted.

It is the object of the invention to insure uniform running of the machine by distributing the tensioning of the actuators of the tens feeding device over a longer time by performing this process during the forward motion of the rack or other transmission members. Another object is to make possible the connection of all sorts of calculating mechanisms, as adding, subtracting, balancing, multiple or drum type counting mechanisms, to like control and transmission members and to a tens feeding device completely located within the calculating mechanism.

7 These objects are attained by bringing first the counting mechanism into engagement with the respective intermediate wheel for plus or minus calculation with the aid of control members actuated by the driving shaft of the machine and looking it there, whereupon the engaged and. locked wheels enter into functional connection with the rack. The control members may consist of a driving cam arranged on a transverse shaft of the machine by means of which a guide member actuates a closing cam disposed on the intermediate wheel frame and provided with a curved groove in which the roller of a clutch lever moves which puts the counting wheel into engagementwith an intermediatewheel and looks it. Only after this locking operation is the intermediate wheel frame with its roller moved by the driving cam in such manner'that the intermediate wheel meshes with the rack, and the driving cam simultaneously imparts to the guide member a motion causing the counting wheel to be held in locked position. 1

One embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a cross section of a drum type counting mechanism, in which all parts are in initial position and the counting mechanism is in plus position;

Fig. 2 shows the same arrangement after one of the counting mechanisms arranged in drum fashion is ready in minus position;

Fig. 3 shows the locking of a counting wheel and an intermediate wheel by the control members; and

Fig. 4 shows the calculating position, in which the counting wheel meshes with the intermediate wheel and the latter with the rack.

In the initial position shown in Fig. l the counting wheel I associated with a counting mecha-' nism has no connection with the intermediate wheel 2 or 3, so that the counting mechanism drum may be turned at will and the desired counting wheel I placed before one of the intermediate wheels, either in plus position (Fig. l) or in minus position (Fig. 2). In their initial position the two intermediate wheels 2, 3' are not in connection with the rack 4. The intermediate wheel 2 is prevented from turning by the tens feed pawl 5 on which the spring 6 acts. Below the wheels 2, 3 a driving cam 1 is located which can be moved in the direction of the arrow from position 1 into position i and from there into position 1" and back again. The driving cam 1 has a V-shaped slot comprising a part 8 extending in circular fashion to the turning point of the driving cam 1 and a part 9 almost vertically bent off relative to part 8 while the end has circular form again. Before the driving cam I the intermediate wheel frame Iii is positioned on which a roller H is arranged which engages the slot 8, 9 of the cam l. The latter is further provided with a rotatable guide member l2 the other end of which is articulated to a closing cam I3 rotatable on a pin I4 of frame It). When the cam 1 is turned the guide member 12 passes into the positions l2, I2" and in doing so draws the cam l3 into the positions l3, l3. To a lateral arm of the frame in a clutch lever I5 is articulated the free end of which carries a roller [6 engaging the slot ll of the cam l3. Owing to the motion of the cam ii, the clutch lever I5 passes into position. Ii, drives the count ing wheel I into position I' and thereby effects meshing of the counting wheel I with the intermediate wheel 2 or 3, dependingon whether a plus or minus operation is to take place. The motion of the driving cam 1 into position 1" (Fig. 4) establishes the calculathig position. The. roller II has slid along part 9 of the \l-shaped slot and, at the simultaneously occurring movement of the roller 16 in the slot of the cam [3 whereby the clutch lever has been moved into position 15'', maintained the engagement of the counting wheel I with one of the. intermediate wheels 2., 3 and thus brought the. wheel 2 into engagement with the rock 4. Now numerical values may be taken up and given off, since the rack 4 the intermediate wheel 2 or 2 and 3 can turn the counting wheel I accordingly.

The mode of operation of the calculating mechanism is as follows:

After the counting mechanism drum has been turned into the desired position, so that one of the drum mechanisms stands either before the upper or lower intermediate wheel, the driving cam is moved in the direction of the arrow. In the part of the groove extending circularly relatively to the turning point slides the roller of the intermediate wheel frame and at first does not cause any change of position of the frame. As. however, with the driving cam the closing cam h driven by the guidemember, the closing cam, during the swinging motion of the driving cam. moves about the bearing pin disposed on the frame while the roller of the clutch lever slides along the curved groove of the closing cam and imparts to the lever a swinging motion toward the left.v The clutch lever takes the countim wheel out of the drum and puts it into engagement with the upper or lower intermedietewheel, according to whether a plus or minus calculation is desired. After the frame roller has reached the turning point of the V-shaped slot of the driving cam further motion of the latter causes also swiming to the left of the intermediate wheel As this swinging motion involves also a movement of the bearing pin on which the closing cam is arranged, a rigid unit, due to the. motion of the guide member by the driving cam, is. formed by the closing earn, the clutch lever with its roller and the counting mechanism brought into engagement. with an intermediate wheel, and, this unit. follows the. movement of the intermediate wheel frame. The upper intermediate wheel is thus in engagementwith the rack, so that the connection of rack, upper intermediate wheel and counting wheel of the counting mechanism for plus calculation or of rack, upper intermediate wheel, lower intermediate. wheel andv counting wheel of a counting mechanism for minus. operation is established. Both partial operations, 1. e. the engagement of the counting wheel of a counting mechanism of a drum with one of the intermediate wheels as well as the engagement of the rigid unit of the countingv wheel-intermediate wheel connection. with the rack are performed by av single uniform turn of. the driving cam. After the counting wheel via the intermediate wheels-in plus or minus position--has been turned by the rack according to the numerical values, dissolution of the connection occurs in inverse order by swinging back the driving cam. The counting mechanism returns to its drum and is released by its driving clutch lever. In this way, each of the counting mechanisms can operate with the control and transmission members required only once in the calculating mechanism and with the tens feed device completely housed therein. When the control device is in initial position there is no connection between the counting wheel and the intermediate wheels and between the upper intermediate wheel and the rack. In the calculations position described the upper intermediate wheel has become detached from the tens feed pawl which can be freely moved in both positions without acting on the counting wheel. Since during the running of the machine and the forward motion of the rack the parts of the control device are functionally in initial. or calculating position, tensioning of the actuators of the tens. feed device may be carried out during this long time to insure uniform running of the machine.

The particular feature of the invention is that this control device efieets uniform rimming of. the machine, since the actuators of the tens feed device are tensioned during the forward move ment of the racks. Furthermore, due to its like control and transmission members. its 6011mm! mechanism as such and a tens feeding device completely contained therein, the calculating mechanism variably applicable.- as adding, subs tracting, balancing, multiple and drum tape counting mechanism can be rationally produced and, moreover, used in all suitable combinations in adding machines up to automatic bookkeeping. registers.

We claim:

1.. Control device for use in a calculating mechanism for calculating machines, particularly add,- ing, subtracting, balancing or bookkeeping machines, in which numerical values are taken up during the return, of the racks or other trammission agents, comprising, in combination, eontrol members actuable bythe. driving shaft of the machine, a counting. mechanism, a counting wheel associated with the counting mechanism an intermediate wheel for plus operation m intermediate wheel for minus operation, said control members comprising a driving cam arranged on a transverse machine shaft and having a. curved groove one part of which extends circularly to the turning point and the other one forms. an angular connection thereof, an intermediate wheel frame positioned in front of the driving cam, a roller on the frame, a grooved closing cam on the frame, a guide member totatably arranged on the driving cam and withits other end articulated to the closing cam for actuating it, an operating rack, a. clutch lever having a roller movable in the groove of the closing cam, said clutch lever effecting engage ment of the counting wheel with an intermediate wheel and looking it, said driving cam moving the wheel frame with its roller after this locking operation to cause engagement of the intermedi ate wheel with the rack and imparting to the guide member a motion by which the counting wheel is held in locked position. I

2. Control device according to claim 1, in which the guide member constitutes the movable conmotion between the driving and closing cams.

3. Control device according to claim 1, in which the intermediate wheel frame with its roller is guided in the groove of the driving cam and a bearing pin disposed on the frame rotatably holds the closing cam.

4. Control device according to claim 1, in which the clutch lever, ready in initial position of the device to drive the counting wheel, engages with I its roller the groove of the closing cam.

5. Control device according to claim 1, in which the intermediate wheel frame with its roller is guided in the groove of the driving cam and a bearing pin disposed on the frame rotatably holds the closing cam, said bearing pin remaining in unchanged position when the frame roller slides into the circular portion of the groove of the driving cam while the guide member moves the closing cam and the roller of the clutch lever sliding in its groove drives the lever and thereby effects engagement of the counting wheel with one of the two intermediate wheels.

6. Control device according to claim 1, in which the intermediate wheel frame with its roller is guided in the groove of the driving cam and a bearing pin disposed on the frame rotatably holds the closing cam, the roller of the frame, during further motion of the driving cam, entering the bent-off portion of the groove of the driving cam and thereby moving also the bearing pin while the closing cam holds the counting wheel by the clutch lever in locked position due to the execution of the same movement by the guide member and the pin.

'7. Control device according to claim 1, in which at the end of the motion of the driving cam the intermediate wheel frame is turned to an extent permitting functional connection of the intermediate wheel and the rack and is held in this position due to the circular extension of the groove relative to the turning point of the cam.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,903,179 Greve Mar. 28, 1933 2,250,837 Muller July 29, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 540,283 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1941 

